Magazine of Concrete Research Magazine of Concrete Research, 2013, 65(8), 462–474

Volume 65 Issue 8 http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/macr.12.00077

Paper 1200077
Mechanical properties of steel fibre concrete Received 30/04/2012; revised 04/12/2012; accepted 11/12/2012
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu Published online ahead of print 12/03/2013

ICE Publishing: All rights reserved

Mechanical properties of steel

fibre concrete
Padmanabha Rao Tadepalli Thomas T. C. Hsu
Engineer, American Global Maritime Inc., Houston, Texas, USA Moores Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Y. L. Mo University of Houston, Texas, USA
Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Director of
Thomas T. C. Hsu Structural Research Laboratory, University of Houston,
Texas, USA

Two types of hooked fibres and one type of twisted steel fibre were used as reinforcement in beam specimens of
size 150 mm 3 150 mm 3 500 mm. A series of experiments was carried out to investigate the effect of size, shape and
amount of steel fibres on the mechanical properties of concrete, such as the compressive strength, first-crack flexural
strength and ultimate flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, flexural toughness and ductility. The guidelines of
ASTM C1609 were used to carry out the bending tests. The compressive strengths of the concrete mixes were
obtained from cylinder tests as per the guidelines of ASTM C39. The experimental findings indicate that addition of
steel fibres in concrete can slightly enhance the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity, but remarkably
improve flexural strength, flexural toughness and ductility. Results were further extended to find a simple formula
for modulus of rupture (MOR) of steel fibre concrete, which is based on ACI 318 code formula for MOR of normal
concrete.

Notation Previous work on fibre-reinforced concrete

a distance of the applied load from the support (mm) reported in the literature
b width of the beam (mm) Steel fibres can be defined as discrete, short lengths of steel
D depth of the beam (mm) having a length to diameter ratio (i.e. aspect ratio) in the range of
Df , d diameter of steel fibre 20–100. They are sufficiently small to be easily and randomly
F total load applied (N) dispersed in fresh concrete mix using conventional mixing
FF fibre factor procedures (ACI 318; ACI, 2008).
f c9 concrete compressive strength (MPa)
ff flexural strength (MPa) Fibres act as multi-directional, uniformly dispersed micro-
Lf /Df aspect ratio of fibre reinforcement in the concrete matrix. Their primary function is to
l length of fibre bridge across cracks and thereby prevent them from growing by
Vf volume of fibre transferring the tension across the cracks. Fibres help to carry
and redistribute applied stresses in concrete by undergoing shear
strains (Beaudoin, 1990). Thus, shrinkage and thermal cracking
Introduction during the plastic stage, as well as micro-cracking in the concrete
Steel fibres of various shapes (i.e. straight, crimped, hooked matrix during the loading stage, are controlled by the presence of
single, hooked collated, twisted, etc.) are available on the market fibres in concrete. The characteristics of fibres impart post-
and intended for structural use. Steel fibre concrete has been cracking ductility to fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC). Fibres
studied for more than five decades, but very little literature is enhance the mechanical performance of concrete with regard to
available on the performance of different types of steel fibres in its tensile and shear strengths, toughness, ductility, durability,
concrete with different compressive strengths, that is normal fatigue and shrinkage resistance (Shah, 1991).
strength and high-strength concretes.
Fibres enhance the mechanical performance of concrete in all
The purpose of this experimental study was to determine and failure modes (Gopalaratnam and Shah, 1987). In FRC, an
compare the structural performance of different types and addition of up to 1.5% of fibres by volume increases the
dosages of steel fibres in normal and high-strength concretes. compressive strength by up to 15% (Dixon and Mayfield, 1971;
Based on the test results, the selected steel fibre with the selected Johnston, 1974). A gradual slope in the descending portion of the
dosage will be used to cast full-scale bridge girders to test their FRC stress–strain curve indicates improved spalling resistance,
shear capacity in a future project. ductility and toughness (Padmarajaiah and Ramaswamy, 2002).

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 Magazine of Concrete Research
Volume 65 Issue 8
Hence, fibres marginally improve the compressive strength but
significantly enhance the post-peak strain and ductility of FRC.
Fibres have the ability to improve the direct tensile strength of
concrete up to 40% when 1.5% by volume of fibres is used in
FRC (Williamson, 1974). Fibres aligned in the longitudinal
direction of a beam produce improved flexural strengths of up to
150% (Johnston, 1974, 1989; Snyder and Lankard, 1972; Water-
house and Luke, 1972).
It is well known that the addition of steel fibres to concrete
reduces workability. Therefore, the practical dosage of steel fibres
in normal concrete varies from 0.5 to a maximum of 3% by
volume (Bayasi and Soroushian, 1992). Workability of steel fibre
concrete can be enhanced by using supplementary cementitious
materials such as fly ash, slag, silica fume, and so on (ACI
544.1R; ACI, 1996). Steel fibre concrete mixes with good work-
ability can be made by using supplementary cementitious materi-
als up to 15% by weight of cement (ACI, 1996; Balaguru and
Dipsia, 1993).
The beneficial influence of fibres in concrete depends on many
factors, such as type, shape, length and cross-section of fibres,
strength and bond characteristics of fibre, fibre content, matrix
strength, mix design and mixing of concrete. Fibres are known to
enhance the mechanical performance of concrete with regard to
its tensile and shear strength, toughness, ductility, durability,
fatigue and shrinkage resistance (ACI, 1996; Shah, 1991). Bayasi
and Soroushian (1992) demonstrated that hooked fibres perform
better than straight or crimped steel fibres in terms of flexural
strength and energy absorption capacity. Balaguru et al. (1992)
reported that for steel fibres with hooked ends, the length of
fibres did not affect the toughness significantly.
Concrete is prone to shrinkage when subjected to a drying
environment. During shrinkage, if concrete is restrained, tensile
stresses are induced leading to cracking. Randomly distributed
short fibres can reduce shrinkage cracking in concrete (Hoff,
1987). Research has shown that a well-compacted FRC will limit
the corrosion of fibres close to the surface skin of the concrete,
even when the concrete is highly saturated with chloride ions
(Schupack, 1985).
Fibres in FRC could decrease the workability of concrete and
accelerate the stiffening of fresh concrete. This can increase
construction labour and time owing to the excess vibration that is
required to make the FRC workable. The problem can be
overcome with the use of superplasticiser admixtures already in
use in the precast industry that not only enhance the workability
of FRC but also maintain the plasticity of the mix for a longer
time.
Previous research also showed that fibres substantially increase
the shear strength of concrete (Barr, 1987; Narayanan and
Darwish, 1987; Noghabai, 2000; Oh et al., 1999). FRC having
1% volume of fibres has demonstrated an increase of up to 170%
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Mechanical properties of steel fibre
concrete
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu
of the ultimate shear strength (Narayanan and Darwish, 1987).
Steel fibres have been shown to be an effective means to
completely replace traditional transverse shear reinforcement
(Noghabai, 2000; Williamson, 1978).
The influence of particular fibres on the hardened properties of
FRC depends on the product of the volume of fibre (fibre content)
and its aspect ratio (length/diameter), (Lf /Df )Vf : This parameter
is termed the ‘fibre index’. If the fibre index is less than 0.25, the
fibres would not significantly affect the mechanical properties of
FRC (Johnston, 1980). A fibre index of more than 1.2 may cause
workability problems. Therefore, fibre index in concrete struc-
tures usually varies between 0.25 and 1.2.
For fibres with an aspect ratio of 80 and with a volume fraction
of 1–1.5% the workability of a reinforced concrete mixture was
dramatically decreased. Also, usage of steel fibres in concrete
increases the compressive strength by 4–19%, the split tensile
strength by 11–54% and the flexural strength by 3–81% (Semsi
et al., 2007).
The addition of steel fibres in fresh concrete reduced the slump
by 65–90 mm. Specimens with hooked-ended fibres exhibited
higher values of toughness and residual strength than specimens
with waved fibres (Soulioti et al., 2011).
Research significance
Deformed steel fibres offer an improved mechanical bond when
used in concrete over straight ones. To provide guidelines for
usage of steel fibres in concrete, this research focuses on a
comparative study of the mechanical properties of concrete
reinforced with different commercially available steel fibres.
Experimental programme
The experimental programme included flexural testing of small-
sized steel fibre concrete beam specimens made using different
concrete strengths, fibre type and fibre dosage. The modulus of
rupture (MOR) beam test (Figure 1(a)), in accordance with
ASTM C1609 (ASTM, 2007), was carried out because of its
popularity, quick test set-up assembly and easy-to-prepare speci-
mens. This test method evaluates the flexural performance of
fibre concrete using parameters derived from the load–deflection
curve obtained by testing a simply supported beam under third-
point loading.
This test method provides for the determination of first-peak loads
and the corresponding stresses. It also requires determination of
residual loads (i.e. post-crack loads) at specified beam deflections
(Figure 1(b)). The test also includes the determination of speci-
men toughness based on the area under the load–deflection curve
up to a prescribed deflection and the corresponding equivalent
flexural strength ratio. Specimen toughness expressed in terms of
the area under the load–deflection curve is an indication of the
energy absorption capability of the particular test specimen
(ASTM C1609; ASTM, 2007).
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Volume 65 Issue 8 concrete
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu

capacity of the test specimen. Fibre concrete is influenced in

different ways by the amount and type of fibres in the concrete.
In some cases, fibres may increase the residual load and
toughness capacity at specified deflections while producing a
first-peak strength equal to or only slightly greater than the
flexural strength of the concrete without fibres. In other cases,
fibres may significantly increase the first-peak and peak strengths
while effecting a relatively small increase in residual load
capacity and specimen toughness at specified deflections (ASTM
C1609; ASTM, 2007).

The first-peak strength, peak strength and residual strengths

determined by this test method reflect the behaviour of FRC
under static flexural loading. The absolute values of energy
absorption obtained in this test are of little direct relevance to the
performance of FRC structures because they depend directly on
(a)
the size and shape of the specimen and the loading arrangement;
however, the results of this test method may be used for
L ⫽ test span comparing the performance of various fibre concrete mixtures.
Pp ⫽ peak load
P1 ⫽ first-peak load
In total, 39 beam specimens of dimensions 150 mm 3
fp ⫽ peak strength
150 mm 3 500 mm were tested under a four-point loading sys-
f1 ⫽ first-peak strength
tem. The MOR test evaluates the maximum tensile bending stress
δp ⫽ net deflection at peak load
δ1 ⫽ net deflection at first-peak load
in a beam at failure. The action of fibres bridging a tension crack
P100,0·50 or P150,0·75 ⫽ residual load at span/600 that normally forms during the beam test is observed in this test.
f100, 0·50 or f150,0·75 ⫽ residual strength at span/600 Thus, the results from the beam tests may be used to find out the
P100,2·0 or P150,3·0 ⫽ residual load at span/150 uniaxial behaviour of steel fibre concrete.
f100,2·0 or f150,3·0 ⫽ residual strength at span/150
T100,2·0 or T150,3·0 ⫽ area under L–D curve 0 to span/150 In total, 13 concrete mixes, based on the concrete mix propor-
tions used by Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to
Pp
manufacture prestressed concrete beams, were investigated. The
P1 typical notation used to differentiate the 13 concrete mixes is
P100,0·50 given in Table 1.
P150,0·75
Test specimens
P100,2·0
Load

Three beam specimens in each concrete mix were prepared and

P150,3·0
0 δ1 δp L/600
Net deflection
(b)
Figure 1. (a) Beam set-up for modulus of rupture test
(ASTM C1609; ASTM, 2007); (b) example for calculation of
various load–deflection parameters in MOR test (ASTM C1609;
ASTM, 2007)
The first-peak strength characterises the flexural behaviour of the
FRC up to the onset of cracking, whereas residual strengths at
specified deflections characterise the residual capacity after crack-
ing. Specimen toughness is a measure of the energy absorption
tested with each of the 13 mix designs shown in Table 1. The
beams were 150 mm square in cross-section and had an overall
length of 500 mm with 450 mm of test span. To determine the
compressive strength of a concrete mix, three 150 mm diameter
by 300 mm long test cylinders were cast, along with the beam
L/500 specimens, for each of the 13 mixes. Three beam specimens were
cast and tested corresponding to each of the concrete mixes. The
types of steel fibres in Table 1 are explained in the later
subsection entitled ‘Steel fibres’.
Materials and concrete mixes
Concrete
Locally available materials, which were traditionally used by
TxDOT in manufacturing their beams, were used to prepare the
concrete mixes for MOR beam specimens.
Cement: high early strength cement was used in all the mixes, as
it was necessary to develop high release strengths at an early age
in the prestressed concrete beams. Portland cement (Type-III)

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Mechanical properties of steel fibre
Volume 65 Issue 8 concrete
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu

Mix designation Description

TTC This mix is traditionally used by TxDOT to cast I-girders.

This mix served as the ‘control mix’ for various concrete
mixes with steel fibres shown below
TTCDL1 TTCDL2 TxDOT traditional concrete mix with Type-1 long fibres
TTCDS1 TTCDS2 TxDOT traditional concrete mix with Type-1 short fibres
TTCR1 TxDOT traditional concrete mix with Type-2 fibres
TTCR2
TTCH1 TxDOT traditional concrete mix with Type-3 fibres
TTCH2
MIXDL1 Normal strength mix with Type-1 long fibres.
MIXDL2
MIXDS1 Normal strength mix with Type-1 short fibres
MIXDS2

Table 1. Concrete mix nomenclature and description for modulus

of rupture test

conforming to ASTM C150 (ASTM, 2002) and fly ash (Type-F)
conforming to ASTM C618, (ASTM, 2003) were the only powder
materials used. Fly ash was added to the mix to enhance
workability, curtail rise in temperature and reduce cost.
Coarse and fine aggregates: the mixes utilised uniformly graded,
rounded, river-bed, coarse aggregates of 34 in nominal size
(AASHTO T 27; AASHTO, 1996) and well-graded, river-bed
sand with a fineness modulus of 2.55 (AASHTO M 43; AASH-
TO, 1998). The specific gravity of the coarse aggregates was 2.6
and that of the fine aggregates was 2.63.
Admixtures: a polycarboxylate-based high-range water-reducing
(HRWR) agent, conforming to ASTM C494/C494M (ASTM,
1999), Type F was used to achieve workable concrete mixes. A
retarder, conforming to ASTM C494/C494M (ASTM, 1999),
Type B was added to the mixes as required to delay the initial
setting of the mix.
Steel fibres
Steel fibres manufactured by three different companies and read-
ily available in the local market (USA) were used in this study.
Type-1 steel fibres were double hooked – collated with long and
short lengths. Type-2 steel fibres were single hooked and Type-3
steel fibres were twisted in shape. Two different steel fibre
dosages were used, namely 0.5% and 1.5% by volume of
concrete. These two dosages were chosen to study the behaviour
of fibre concrete at lower dosages, as well as higher dosages of
steel fibres. Table 2 presents the detailed specifications of the
steel fibres used in this experimental study.
Two types of concrete mixes, that is with and without fly ash,
were used in this research. Concrete mixes with high water/
cement ratio were used to obtain normal strength concrete, while
mixes with a low water/cement ratio were used to obtain high-
strength concrete. Table 3 summarises the mix proportions used
for various concrete mixes in this work.
Experimental set-up
The MOR beam tests were performed according to the guidelines
of ASTM C1609 (ASTM, 2007), using a two-point loading
system and a total span of 450 mm (Figure 2). Steadily increasing
static load was applied on top of the beam using a displacement
control at a rate of 0.125 mm/min up to a net vertical deflection
of 0.75 mm. After that, the rate of loading was changed to
0.25 mm/min. Beam deflections were continuously recorded

Fibre type Length, Diameter, Aspect ratio, Tensile

Lf : mm Df : mm Lf /Df strength:
MPa

Type-1 Long fibre 60 0.75 80 1040

Short fibre 30 0.55 55 1100
Type-2 40 0.75 53 1040
Type-3 25 0.5 50 2400

Table 2. Details of steel fibres used in concrete mixes

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Mechanical properties of steel fibre
Volume 65 Issue 8 concrete
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu

2 3 2 3  b  c
Component:a kg/m3 TTCDL1 b TTCDL2 c TTC (control) MIXDL1 MIXDL2
6
6 TTCDS1 7
7 6
6 TTCDS2 7
7 MIXDS1 MIXDS2
4 TTCH1 5 4 TTCR2 5
TTCR1 TTCH2

Cement 370 370 370 340 340

Fly ash 93 93 93 — —
Cementitious material 463 463 463 340 340
Water/cement ratio (w/c) 0.39 0.39 0.39 0.60 0.60
Water/cementitious material 0.32 0.32 0.32 0.60 0.60
ratio
Coarse aggregate (CA) 1120 1120 1120 952 952
Fine aggregate (FA) 704 704 704 894 894
CA/FA ratio 1.59 1.59 1.59 1.07 1.07
HRWR 3.8 3.8 3.8 — —
Fibres 38.9 118 — 38.9 118
Retarder 1.5 1.5 1.5 — —
a
Each concrete mix had a batch-yield of 0.06 m3 :
b
Steel fibre dosage of 0.5% by volume.
c
Steel fibre dosage of 1.5% by volume.

Table 3. Mix proportions for modulus of rupture beam specimens

F /2 F /2

a a a b
L

a ⫽ b ⫽ D ⫽ 150 mm
L ⫽ 450 mm

Figure 2. Modulus of rupture beam test set-up

throughout the test using two linear variable differential transfor-
mers (LVDTs) mounted at its mid-span on either side of the
beam. A load cell was used to obtain the applied load values
throughout the test. Both the LVDTs and load cell were connected
to a data acquisition system to record the load and displacement
values during the test. Figure 2 shows a typical beam set-up for
the MOR test.
Experimental results and discussion
The average compressive strengths of all the concrete mixes are
shown in Table 4. Table 4 also presents the first-peak load (F) and
MOR strength of each concrete mix tested. The percentage
increase in MOR strength for a particular concrete mix with 1.5%
dosage of steel fibres with respect to a 0.5% dosage of steel fibres
is also shown in Table 4. It can be observed that the short Type-1
steel fibres with 1.5% dosage (i.e. the TTCDS mix) yielded the
maximum gain in the percentage MOR strength in comparison
with other series of concrete mixes. Generally, all the concrete
mixes showed a reasonable increase in the percentage MOR
strength, except the TTCDL series. This may be attributed to the
fact that the TTCDL mix with 1.5% dosage of long fibres had poor
workability, which was also evident in its reduced compressive
strength. Similar workability problems were reported by Semsi et
al. (2007). They found that the workability of a reinforced
concrete mixture is dramatically decreased for fibres with an
aspect ratio of 80 and a volume fraction of 1.0% and 1.5%.
The load plotted against displacement curves for beam specimens
with 0.5% and 1.5% dosage of steel fibres are shown in Figures 3
and 4 respectively. From these figures it can be seen that the

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Mechanical properties of steel fibre
Volume 65 Issue 8 concrete
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu

Beam/mix ID Compressive strength: MPa First-peak load, MOR, FL/bD2 : MPa % Increase in MOR
F: kN (flexural strength)

TTC 70.4 51.62 6.67 —


MIXDL1a 40.78 53.85 6.96
29
MIXDL2b 43.13 69.55 8.98 
MIXDS1a 36.64 38.18 4.93
71
MIXDS2b 41.06 65.33 8.44
TTCDL1a 78.04 78.01 10.07 —
TTCDL2b 65.96 71.38 9.22 
TTCDS1a 70.73 53.85 6.96
121
TTCDS2b 92.18 118.95 15.37
0.00 0.00 0.00 
TTCH1a 73.14 69.24 8.94
68
TTCH2b 37.12 116.15 15.00 
TTCR1a 59.34 54.16 7.00
74
TTCR2b 81.56 94.12 12.16
a
Steel fibre dosage of 0.5% by volume.
b
Steel fibre dosage of 1.5% by volume.

Table 4. Results of compressive and flexural strength (MOR) of

beam specimens

MIXDL1
90 MIXDS1 140 MIXDL2
MIXDS2
TTCDL1
80 120 TTCDS2
TTCDS1 TTCH2
70 TTCH1 TTCR2
TTCR1 100 TTCDL2
60 TTC TTC
Load: kN
Load: kN

50 80

40 60
30
40
20
20
10
0 0
0 0·5 1·0 1·5 2·0 2·5 3·0 0 0·5 1·0 1·5 2·0 2·5 3·0
Displacement: mm Displacement: mm

Figure 3. Load plotted against displacement curves for beam Figure 4. Load plotted against displacement curves for beam
specimens with 0.5% fibre content specimens with 1.5% fibre content

concrete mixes with higher compressive strength showed greater external moment by the resisting moment of the beam. From
stiffness. Figure 2 it is clear that Fa=2 is the applied external moment.
From the Euler–Bernoulli’s beam bending theory
In order to facilitate better comparison, the load values in the
load plotted against displacement results are normalised using the pffiffiffiffiffiffi bD2
corresponding cylinder compressive strength for each concrete f c9
6
mix. These normalised displacement curves for beam specimens
with 0.5% and 1.5% dosage of steel fibres are shown in Figures 5
and 6 respectively. is the resisting moment in case of tension failure. The normalised
equation
pffiffiffiffiffiffi assumes that the tensile strength of concrete is equal to
The normalised load was determined by dividing the applied f c9 (Belarbi and Hsu, 1994).

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Mechanical properties of steel fibre
Volume 65 Issue 8 concrete
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu

MIXDL1
MIXDS1 (MIXDL2, MIXDS2, TTCDL2, TTCDS2 and TTCR2). Consider-
1·4
TTCDL1 ing the normalised MOR strength for concrete mixes with 0.5%
1·2 TTCDS1 dosage of steel fibres in Figure 5, the long Type-1 fibres had the
TTCH1
highest strength (MIXDL1 and TTCDL1), followed by the Type-
1·0 TTCR1
TTC 3 (TTCH1), short Type-1 (MIXDS1 and TTCDS1) and Type-2
冪f ⬘c(bD 2/ 6)

0·8 fibres (TTCR1). Also, comparing the normalised MOR strength

Fa / 2

for concrete mixes with 1.5% dosage of steel fibres in Figure 6,

0·6
the short and long Type-1 (DL and DS) fibres out-performed the
0·4 other fibres.

0·2
From Figures 5 and 6, it can be observed that Type-1 long fibres,
0 when used in either low-strength (i.e. concrete without fly ash) or
⫺0·5 0 0·5 1·0 1·5 2·0 2·5 3·0 high-strength (i.e. concrete with fly ash) concrete mixes behaved
Displacement: mm better than Type-2 or Type-3 fibres. At higher dosage of fibres,
both Type-1 long and short fibres showed almost the same
Figure 5. Normalised load plotted against displacement curves for
strength and similar mechanical behaviour (Figure 6). This was
beam specimens with 0.5% fibre content
not true in case of lower dosage of fibres (Figure 5). Hence, the
effect of fibre length on enhancing the MOR strength diminished
with an increase in the dosage of fibres.
1·8
1·6 The beam toughness is represented by the area under the load
1·4 plotted against displacement curve from the MOR test results.
The average toughness values were calculated for all the beam
1·2
冪f ⬘c(bD 2/ 6)

specimens and are presented in Table 5 and also plotted in Figure

1·0
Fa / 2

7. Additionally, in order to better compare the MOR results, the

0·8 MIXDL2
MIXDS2 average normalised toughness values were calculated, as shown in
0·6 TTCDS2 Table 6 and plotted in Figure 8.
TTCR2
0·4 TTCDL2
0·2 TTC It is noted that the plain or non-fibrous concrete (TTC) mix did
not demonstrate residual strength and hence did not yield any
0
0 0·5 1·0 1·5 2·0 2·5 3·0 toughness values. From the above results it can be observed that
Displacement: mm for the concrete mixes with 0.5% fibre dosage (MIXDL1,
MIXDS1, TTCDL1, TTCDS1, TTCH1 and TTCR1), the beams
Figure 6. Normalised load plotted against displacement curves for with Type-1 long fibre (MIXDL1 and TTCDL1) had the highest
beam specimens with 1.5% fibre content toughness values followed by the beams with Type-3 fibres
(TTCH1). The mix with Type-2 fibres (TTCR1) had the lowest
toughness values at 0.5% fibre dosage. Among all the mixes
(both with 0.5% and 1.5% fibres), the TTC mix with Type-1 short
So the normalised load (or moment) can be written as fibres at 1.5% dosage (TTCDS2) had the maximum toughness
value at both displacements of concern (3 mm and 0.75 mm).
Fa=2 Type-2 fibres showed the maximum increase in toughness value
pffiffiffiffiffiffi when fibre content changed from 0.5% to 1.5% (TTCR1 to
1: f c9 (bD2 =6)
TTCR2). Type-1 long fibres showed the least increase (MIXDL1
to MIXDL2), implying that long fibres are good when used in
where F is the total load applied (N), a is the distance of the lower dosage.
applied load from the support (mm), f c9 is the concrete compres-
sive strength (MPa), b is the width of the beam (mm), and D is The mechanical properties of the steel fibre concrete beams,
the depth of the beam (mm). calculated in accordance with ASTM C1609 (ASTM, 2007), are
given in Table 7.
After normalisation the stiffness of all the curves matches very
well, which supports the normalisation technique used. Figures 5 The MOR tests of beams showed that the non-fibrous beams had
and 6 show that the maximum normalised MOR strengths for no ductility. In these beams, once the maximum tensile stress was
concrete mixes with 0.5% dosage of steel fibres (MIXDL1, reached, the beams failed suddenly without any warning. The
MIXDS1, TTCDL1, TTCDS1, TTCH1 and TTCR1) are lower addition of steel fibres changed the failure characteristics of the
than their counterpart mixes with 1.5% dosage of steel fibres beams in flexure. After the onset of the initial crack at the bottom

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Mechanical properties of steel fibre
Volume 65 Issue 8 concrete
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu

Beam/mix Toughness at a displacement % Increase Toughness at a displacement % Increase

ID of 3 mm (Tough3 ): kN mm of 0.75 mm (Tough0:75 ): kip in
 
MIXDL1a 134.13 34.01
38:2 21:9
MIXDL2b 185.43  41.47 
MIXDS1a 84.86 25.2
90 61:4
MIXDS2b 161.25 40.68
TTCDL1a 188.7  47.8 
TTCDS1a 115.71 35.14
126 74:3
TTCDS2b 261.48 61.25
TTCH1a 144.6  39.78 
TTCR1a 77.74 25.76
154:4 94:3
TTCR2b 197.75 50.06
a
Steel fibre dosage of 0.5% by volume.
b
Steel fibre dosage of 1.5% by volume.

Table 5. Flexural toughness values at beam displacements of

3 mm and 0.75 mm

300·0
(i.e. at crack arrest). Failure occurred owing to bond failure
Tough 3·00
250·0 Tough 0·75
between concrete and fibres through straightening of fibres, as
Toughness: kN mm

shown in Figure 9. At the failure flexural tension crack in the

200·0 beam specimens, steel fibres were observed to be de-bonded (i.e.
pulled-out) from the concrete and very few actually showed
150·0
tensile rupture. This means that steel fibres having good bond
100·0 strength in concrete are expected to perform better structurally.
Therefore, the Type-1 fibres with elongated hooked ends and
50·0
Type-3 fibres with twisted, wavy shape demonstrated higher
0 mechanical strength (i.e. MOR strength and toughness) than the
Type-2 fibres, which had relatively smaller hooked ends.
M 1

M 1

TT 1

TT 1

1
M 2

TT 2

S2

2
DL

DS

CH

CR
DL

DS

CR
CD

CD

CD
IX

IX
IX

IX

TT

TT
TT
M

Mix For the concrete mixes with 0.5% fibre content, the TTCDL1 mix
with Type-1 long fibres showed the largest ultimate (peak) load.
Figure 7. Flexural toughness values at beam displacements of The ultimate load values of all the beams with 0.5% fibre content
3.0 mm and 0.75 mm for various concrete mixes are tabulated in Table 4 and plotted in Figure 10.

of the beam, the specimen did not fail suddenly, but demonstrated
considerable residual strength.
The randomly oriented steel fibres, crossing or bridging the
cracks, resisted the propagation of the crack and hence prevented
sudden failure. In many beam specimens, this caused an increase
in the load-carrying capacity beyond the first crack. The applied
load reached a peak value which can be correlated to a function
of fibre dosage, tensile strength of fibre, fibre shape and fibre
bond strength. Beyond the peak value, the applied load decreased
progressively, and localised peaks and valleys were observed.
This can be attributed to the progressive fibre failure in bond
from the bottom (i.e. at crack opening) to the top of the section
Among all the mixes with 1.5% fibre content, TTCDS2 mix with
Type-1 short fibres showed the largest ultimate (peak) load among
all the other beams. Poor workability was demonstrated while
casting the concrete containing 1.5% fibre dosage in case of both
the Type-1 long and Type-3 fibres. Therefore, fibre contents
greater than 1.5% by volume were most likely to have been
completely unworkable and therefore impractical. It is therefore
recommended that to achieve a stable and workable fibrous
concrete mix, the maximum percentage of Type-1 long or Type-3
fibres be limited to 1.5% by volume of concrete and that the
water/cementitious material ratio should never be less than 0.30.
The ultimate load values of all the mixes with 1.5% fibre dosage
are presented in Table 4 and are plotted in Figure 10. The
percentage increase in flexural capacity of the beams when fibre
content is enhanced from 0.5% to 1.5% is shown in Table 4. The

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Mechanical properties of steel fibre
Volume 65 Issue 8 concrete
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu

Beam/mix Normalised toughness at a % Normalised toughness at a %

ID displacement of 3 mm (NTough3 ) Increase displacement of 0.75 mm Increase
(NTough0:75 )
 
MIXDL1a 2.61 0.63
39:8 23:8
MIXDL2b 3.65  0.78 
MIXDS1a 1.86 0.53
69 41:5
MIXDS2b 3.14 0.75
TTCDL1a 2.75  0.67 
TTCDS1a 1.79 0.52
101:6 55:8
TTCDS2b 3.61 0.81
TTCH1a 2.26  0.61 
TTCR1a 1.35 0.45
118:5 64:4
TTCR2b 2.95 0.74
a
Steel fibre dosage of 0.5% by volume.
b
Steel fibre dosage of 1.5% by volume.

Table 6. Normalised flexural toughness values at beam

displacements

4·00 NTough 3·00 fibres on workability and stability of the fibrous concrete.
3·50 NTough 0·75 Stability and workability of the Type-1 fibre mix was observed to
Normalised toughness

3·00 be reduced with larger dosage (1.5%) of steel fibres, which

invariably decreased the mechanical strength of beams.
2·50
2·00
Considering only the Type-1 fibre beam specimens, the percent-
1·50 age increases in flexural toughness values with increased fibre
1·00 length and the same fibre dosage are shown in Table 9.
0·50 Additionally, the percentage increases in the normalised flexural
0 toughness values for beam specimens with Type-1 fibres corre-
sponding to the data in Table 9 are shown in Table 10.
M 1

M 1

L1

TT 1

1
M 2

TT 2

S2

2
DL

DS

CH

CR
DL

DS

CR
CD

CD

CD
IX

IX
IX

TT
IX

TT
TT
TT
M

Mix
Figure 8. Normalised flexural toughness values at beam
displacements of 3 mm and 0.75 mm for various concrete mixes
From Tables 9 and 10, it can be concluded that the increase in
flexural toughness is significant when the fibre length is increased
at lower dosages of fibres. At higher fibre dosage, the flexural
toughness is unaffected by the fibre length, but is found to be
dependent on fibre type and dosage.

Variation of MOR with fibre factor

results point out that the percentage increase in the flexural
capacity of the beams was most prominent in the case of short
fibres.
Table 8 depicts the percentage increase in the ultimate flexural
load capacities of beam specimens made with Type-1 fibres. The
beams with Type-1 long fibres had better flexural strength than
beams with the same dosage of short fibres. This holds true for
both high-strength and normal strength concrete. The increase in
the ultimate flexural load capacities of beam specimens is more
pronounced with the 0.5% dosages than with the 1.5% dosages.
The reason for this is the detrimental effect of higher dosage of
An attempt has been made to find out the variation of MOR
values of concretes with increase in the amount of steel fibres
they contain. Figure 11 shows the lower limit of the specimens
tested in this research, as well as for tests done by Dhonde
(2006). According ptoffiffiffiffiffiffi ACI-318 (ACI, 2008) the MOR of normal
concrete is 0:625 f c9 MPa (the unit of f c9 in Figure 11 is MPa).
When this value is multiplied by a factor (1 + FF), where FF is
the fibre factor ([(Lf /Df )Vf ]/100, taken as the percentage of
product of aspect ratio of fibre and volume of fibre in concrete),
it seems that the MOR values of the concrete beams can be
calculated conservatively. Note that each point in Figure 11
represents the average MOR for three beam specimens. When the
fibre factor is zero, the coefficient becomes 0.625, which matches

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Mechanical properties of steel fibre
Volume 65 Issue 8 concrete
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu

Beam/mix First-peak First-peak Peak load: Peak load Residual load, Residual Residual load, Residual
ID load, F: kN deflection: kN deflection: P3:00 : kN strength, P0:75 : kN strength,
mm mm f 3:00 ¼ FL=bD2 : f 0:75 ¼ FL=bD2 :
MPa MPa

TTC 51.62 0.33 51.62 0.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

MIXDL1a 42.81 0.30 53.85 0.83 24.03 3.11 52.82 6.82
MIXDL2b 69.55 1.03 69.55 1.03 43.32 5.60 68.69 8.87
MIXDS1a 38.18 0.68 38.18 0.68 15.04 1.94 37.78 4.89
MIXDS2b 65.33 0.70 65.33 0.70 35.20 4.55 64.55 8.34
TTCDL1a 78.01 0.58 78.01 0.58 43.99 5.69 67.74 8.76
TTCDS1a 53.85 0.28 53.85 0.28 13.74 1.77 49.37 6.38
TTCDS2b 114.54 0.65 118.9 0.83 63.54 8.21 116.58 15.06
TTCH1a 69.24 0.58 69.24 0.58 25.92 3.35 66.61 8.60
TTCR1a 54.16 0.30 54.16 0.30 19.46 2.51 31.24 4.04
TTCR2b 94.12 0.60 94.12 0.60 52.64 6.80 90.62 11.71
a
Steel fibre dosage of 0.5% by volume.
b
Steel fibre dosage of 1.5% by volume.

Table 7. Properties of fibre-reinforced beams in accordance with

ASTM C1609 (ASTM, 2007)

140
Ultimate flexural capacity: kN

120
Straightened fibres
100
80
60
40
20
0
M 1

M 1

TT 1

TT 1

1
M 2

TT 2

S2

C
DL

DS

CH

CR
DL

DS

CR

TT
CD

CD

CD
IX

IX
IX

IX

TT

TT
TT
M

Mix

Figure 10. Ultimate (peak) load of all beam specimens in MOR

test

Figure 9 Straightening (de-bonding) of steel fibres in beam which results in a coefficient of 0.8261 when there are no fibres
specimen after failure present. This shows that the present coefficient, which is also
used by ACI for normal and high-strength concrete, is conserva-
tive and hence usable in practice.

with the coefficient obtained by ACI-318 (ACI, 2008). Song and
Hwang (2004) found this coefficient as 0.69 for high-strength
FRC. By statistical analysis of test results Semsi et al. (2007)
found flexural strength as
f f (MPa) ¼ 0:8261 þ 0:0638l=d þ 3:0V f (%)
Conclusions
Flexural tests (ASTM C1609, ASTM, 2007) on small-sized steel
fibre concrete beam specimens made by different concrete
strengths, fibre type and fibre dosage were carried out in this
study. The test method evaluated the flexural performance of fibre
concrete using parameters derived from the load–deflection curve
obtained by testing a simply supported beam under third-point
loading. The MOR and flexural toughness values of different

471
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 Magazine of Concrete Research Mechanical properties of steel fibre
Volume 65 Issue 8 concrete
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu

Beam/mix ID Ultimate flexural % Increase in flexural beam specimens were determined through this experimental
capacity: kN capacity study. The primary focus of this experimental programme was to
determine and compare the mechanical behaviour of different

MIXDS1a 38.18 types and dosages of steel fibres in normal and high-strength
41
MIXDL1a 53.85 
concrete. Based on the test results, suitable mix designs, includ-
TTCDS1a 53.85 ing an appropriate choice of the type and dosage of steel fibre,
45
TTCDL1a 78.01 
will be selected to cast large-scale prestressed concrete beams in
MIXDS2b 65.33 .5 the next phase of this research project.
6
MIXDL2b 69.55
The following conclusions can be drawn from the above test
a
Steel fibre dosage of 0.5% by volume. results.
b
Steel fibre dosage of 1.5% by volume.

Table 8. Increase in flexural capacity of beam specimens with (a) Addition of steel fibres in concrete increased the load-
Type-1 fibres carrying capacity, ductility and energy absorption capability
(i.e. flexural toughness) of the beam.

Beam/mix ID Toughness at a displacement of % Increase Toughness at a displacement of % Increase

3.00 mm (Tough3:00 ): kip-in 0.75 mm (Tough0:75 ): kip-in
 
MIXDS1a 84.9 25.20
58 35
MIXDL1a 134.1  34.01 
MIXDS2b 161.25 40.68
15 2
MIXDL2b 185.43  41.47 
TTCDS1a 115.71 35.14
63 36
TTCDL1a 188.71 47.80
a
Steel fibre dosage of 0.5% by volume.
b
Steel fibre dosage of 1.5% by volume.

Table 9. Increase in flexural toughness of beam specimens with

fibre length (Type-1)

Beam/mix Normalised toughness at a % Increase Normalised toughness at a % Increase

ID displacement of 3.00 mm displacement of 0.75 in
(NTough3:00 ) (NTough0:75 )
 
MIXDS1a 1.86 0.53
40:3 18:8
MIXDL1a 2.61  0.63 
MIXDS2b 3.14 0.75
16:2 4
MIXDL2b 3.65  0.78 
TTCDS1a 1.79 0.52
48 28:8
TTCDL1a 2.75 0.67
a
Steel fibre dosage of 0.5% by volume.
b
Steel fibre dosage of 1.5% by volume.

Table 10. Increase in normalised flexural toughness of beam

specimens with fibre length (Type-1)

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Mechanical properties of steel fibre
Volume 65 Issue 8 concrete
Tadepalli, Mo and Hsu

3·00
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